I recently went to meet the very charming Mary-Lou Sturridge who used to run The Groucho Club. Her new venture is a restaurant-with-rooms The Seaside Boarding House at Burton Bradstock. Since it’s practically on our doorstep, we’re very excited about this super-stylish new addition to West Dorset and I wanted to find out more, plus it was great excuse to have a nose around before the building work kicked off. Here’s the interview with photos by Katharine Davies.

First I’d like to draw your attention to the all-new website for which I have to thank Giles Vincent at Kolab Digital for the beautiful design and Angela Vincent for the glorious photography. Putting it together was great fun – well for me anyway – poor Giles had to put up with a world class Luddite (me) but heroically managed to roll his eyes heavenwards only a couple of times! Thanks to them this website reflects the ethos of Velvet & Dash perfectly – timeless, elegant, individual and just a little bit quirky. We will be adding to it over the months with more photography as projects I’m working on are completed, so please keep visiting.

The online Boutique and its collection of wallpapers, glass and ceramics is a really exciting start. I adore shopping and I’ve always hankered after my own shop, so this is the perfect solution! I’m trying to find things that are unusual, talking points and just plain must-haves for your home. I hope to gradually build up the collection as and when I come across things. Please let me know any suggestions or comments – I’d be really interested to have feedback.

And this summer I’ve introduced a new service called Ask Charlotte which may need a little explanation. It occurred to me that interior design can be perceived as expensive and high end, not within everyone’s grasp, and often people just want some advice and a nudge in the right direction. Ask Charlotte is perfect for this. Since it’s conducted wholly via email or post, it’s much more cost-effective, and you can ask me for advice on as much or as little as you need to know. It might be something as simple as, “Here’s a photo of my bedroom wallpaper, can you suggest some ideas for curtain fabric?” Or you might want me to advise on redecorating a whole room. So far it seems very popular, and people really love the idea they can tailor it exactly to their requirements. I hope I can show you what a big difference it can make to repaint, reupholster and rearrange furniture. Maximum effect for minimum outlay – we like!

My passion for interiors started early. At 13 I painted my bedroom black and shocking pink (very Abigail Ahern) – and really got going when I moved into my first, extremely grotty flat aged 19. I spent every evening for the first month painting the floorboards and then stencilling a ridiculously intricate design on them, while my friends stepped over me on their way out to party. I knew then I was hooked! Since then, I’ve been obsessed with building a nest for myself and my loved ones. Until I feel my home is the best place in the world to be, I’m not entirely content with life in general. (Her poor husband you are thinking!) And by extension I love being at home. Pottering, gardening, cooking, hanging out with my husband and children and friends and of course our greyhounds, Velvet & Dash. So this blog is going to be a mix of anything and everything I find inspiring, useful or interesting. I might even throw in the recipe for my killer chocolate cake!

Talking of chocolate (ahem), I’ve spent the last month up to my eyes in dark brown paint for a cinema room I’m designing. “I think brown is your favourite colour Mummy” said my 6 year old, pink-loving daughter rather sorrowfully the other day, as I skewered the lid off yet another sample pot. In a rather desperate attempt to break free from the clutches of Farrow and Ball, I cast the net wide. Talk about Fifty Shades of Grey, this was Fifty Shades of Brown. I tried Zoffany’s Dark Chocolate, Little Greene’s Attic II, De Le Cuona’s no 1, and on and on. But still I kept being drawn back to London Clay. I think it is the perfect chocolate brown. Looks fabulous in new houses and old, you can put any colour against it and they just sing. It’s warm, it’s cool, it’s classic. Thank you Farrow and Ball, I promise I’ll never stray again.